Howie Kendrick's baseball career began at age 5 when he picked up a rock in the driveway of his grandmother's home in Callahan, Fla. (pop. 963).

"She's the one who got me into this," says Kendrick, now 22 and one of the top prospects in the minors. "Growing up, I used to hit and throw rocks in the driveway so she decided to sign me up for T-ball."

Since turning pro in 2002, Kendrick, a second baseman, has hit .361 in 1,173 regular-season at-bats. He split 2005, his first full season, between high-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Arkansas, where he hit a combined .367. That placed him second in the minors to veteran Rick Short.

Kendrick hit .286 in July after being promoted to Arkansas on July 16. But he rebounded to hit .377 in August, going on a 20-game hitting streak to help lead the Travelers to the Texas League finals.

Kendrick then headed to the Arizona Fall League, where he faced the best pitching he has seen in his career. He responded by hitting .380 in 29 games for Surprise and leading the league in hits (46) and runs (27). Kendrick finished second in the league in total bases to Surprise double-play partner Brandon Wood.

"He's the best hitter in the minor leagues," Wood says of Kendrick.

For the season, Kendrick racked up 19 homers, 89 RBI and 25 steals. The Angels honored Kendrick and Wood, who led the minors with 43 homers, with their Minor League Player of the Year honors.

"Toward the end of the year I became drained mentally," says Kendrick, who missed three weeks in June with a strained muscle in his abdomen. "Not so much the physical part, but it was the first time I'd ever experienced mental tiredness."

Kendrick has seemed like a natural since the Angels took him in the 10th round of the 2002 draft out of St. John's River Community College in Palatka, Fla. Kendrick hit .318 in the complex-level Arizona League that year before raising his average to .368 at short-season Provo the next summer. Kendrick charged to a .367 clip at low-A Cedar Rapids in 2004 before a strained groin cut short his season.

Sharing the spotlight with Wood was familiar to Kendrick, who partnered with the shortstop at Surprise and from Wood's July 2003 arrival in Provo to Kendrick's July 17 promotion to Arkansas. At Arkansas, Kendrick played with Erick Aybar, another hot Angels prospect.

"I got a taste of how Aybar likes to do things this summer," Kendrick says. "He likes the feeds a lot faster, whereas Brandon likes them a little softer."

The Angels are particularly loaded with middle-infield prospects. Wood broke an Arizona Fall League record with 14 homers in five weeks, while Aybar hit .303 at Arkansas this year. The Angels also have the versatile Alberto Callaspo, who hit .304 between Arkansas and Triple-A Salt Lake in 2005.

Despite the logjam, don't be surprised to see Kendrick in an Angels uniform soon. He has done more than enough to prove he's ready for Triple-A, at the very least. Kendrick appears to have added a few pounds of muscle to his 5-10, 180-pound frame, and he's determined to improve his fielding and throwing..

"There is always stuff I can work on to get better defensively, and I want to become a complete player," says Kendrick, a shortstop in high school and college. "I don't want to be known as 'just a hitter.' "

FROM AFL TO MLB?

The Arizona Fall League, which just wound up its 14th season, has proven to be a breeding ground for future major league stars. Here are a few 2005 alumni you might see in a major league uniform next summer:

•Stephen Drew, SS, Diamondbacks: Just months after Drew started his pro career, at least one AFL scout felt he was closer to the majors than any other AFL player.

With last year's starting shortstop, Royce Clayton, a free agent, the Diamondbacks need to decide whether they are ready to hand the 22-year-old Drew the job this spring. Drew certainly didn't hurt his case while playing for Phoenix this fall, hitting .337 with six homers, seven doubles and 17 RBI.

Arizona's first-round pick in 2004 out of Florida State, Drew held out until minutes before the May 30 signing deadline. In the meantime, he stayed sharp playing for Camden of the independent Atlantic League this spring, hitting .427 in 19 games.

The Diamondbacks sent Drew directly to high-A Lancaster, where he batted .389 with 10 homers and 39 RBI in 149 at-bats. They promoted him to Double-A Tennessee during the first week of August. Hobbled by a quadriceps injury, Drew hit just .218 in 101 at-bats there.

Drew, a left-handed, line-drive hitter with a compact swing and a strong arm, is the younger brother of Dodgers outfielder J.D. Drew and former major league pitcher Tim Drew.

Markakis, 22, started his first full season at high-A Frederick, where he batted .300 with 12 homers and 62 RBI and won the Carolina-California League All-Star Game's Home Run Derby. Promoted to Double-A Bowie down the stretch, Markakis batted .339 with three homers and 30 RBI.

Markakis is a personal favorite of Baltimore owner Peter Angelos, having represented the Angelos-sponsored Greek team in the 2004 Olympics.

•Kendry Morales, 1B, Angels: Considered the top hitting prospect to defect from Cuba, the 21-year-old Morales had his debut delayed until late May with visa issues after he signed for a $3 million bonus in December. He has proven to be worth the wait.

Morales dominated at Rancho Cucamonga for three weeks before earning a promotion to Arkansas. Between the two spots, he hit .315 with 22 homers and 71 RBI and then batted .380 for Surprise.

Morales was the only first baseman in this year's AFL crop to hit above .300. He had at least two hits in 12 games. Though he hit just two home runs, Morales led the AFL with 14 doubles.

A switch-hitter, Morales has legitimate power from both sides of the plate as well as a strong arm. He can also play third base and the outfield. He's already on the Angels' 40-man roster.